Sorrow
by SennaNyx
Summary: One-shot. Zoe and Tommy are separated from the others. Mercurymon attacks. Burdened by his tricks and torments, she makes a sacrifice.


A/N: This was an idea GalacticParty and I decided to try out to essentially try to improve our writing. We are randomly given a season, two characters, and a genre, and make a one-shot out of it. I got Season 4, Tommy and Zoe, and drama. This is what was created xD

Hope you like it.

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Zöe looked nervously at the little boy bounding off ahead of her, and she clenched her D-Tector. Looking after a ten year old without the other guys to back her up turned out to be harder than she thought. "Tommy, wait," she called, and to her relief, the boy turned, his huge yellow hat almost sliding off his head.

He righted it and beamed at her. "What's the matter?" he called to her as she walked up to him.

She sighed. It was difficult to explain to a little boy that without the other four to back her up, she would have a hard time protecting him. "Just...stay close, okay?" she said as gently as she could, hoping that the obvious care with which she spoke would win over his esteem and obedience.

But it was perhaps the youth's inhibition that made him break into a smile and voice exactly what had been worrying her. "We'll be okay, Zöe. We're gonna find the others soon. I'm sure they're just as worried about us." After a pause as she nearly reeled from his wisdom far beyond his years, he took her hand and added, "Look, there's a lake over there. Let's go rest, okay?"

She swallowed hard. It was times like this she wished she had a little brother. "Okay," she murmured, and allowed herself to be led over to the lake.

They found some rocks to sit on, and for a while they rested there. Zöe let the peaceful air of the lake and surrounding forest try and ease her worries; it really was a beautiful part of the digital world, she reflected vaguely. Worry knotted in her stomach when she thought of the others and if they were in a safe, peaceful place too, or if they had ended up somewhere chaotic and violent... She clutched her D-Tector to her heart.

Zöe had not been aware that Tommy was watching her, and she nearly jumped when he said, "When did you last see the others?"

It took effort to keep her expression neutral as she recalled what had happened. She had to, for Tommy's sake. "I saw Takuya being dragged away by Mercurymon," she said quietly. It was not easy to forget the image of the powerful, massive BurningGreymon be brought down so easily by the Warrior of Steel. "And Koichi, I think, fell from that cliff..." Tears burned her eyes. She didn't need to remind him that neither of his spirits could fly. "And I haven't seen Kouji or JP since the fight."

Tommy blinked at her. She had found him unconscious, his spirit nearly faded, upstream from where the battle had taken place. She had flown there, looking for survivors, but upon finding the unconscious little boy she suddenly lost the strength to hold her Zephyrmon form. Zöe had brought him to safety, abandoning her search for the others. It was what they would have wanted. It didn't make it any easier. For all she knew, they were dead.

"They're all strong, Zöe. They have their beast spirits. All of them can take care of themselves."

Zöe forced herself to focus on his words and the hope he injected into them. She looked up at him and smiled a watery smile. "I know, Tommy. When we're stronger, we're going to go look for them, okay?"

He grinned brightly. "Of course! I'd never give up on them."

"That's the spirit." She smiled at him, reminding herself that this was the same little boy who had Spirit Evolved into a hulking KorIkkakumon and thrown Petaldramon over his shoulder. He, perhaps, was better at looking out for himself than she was.

Feeling slightly better, Zöe looked into the lake. The water rippled daintily, contorting her reflection, but she could still see herself, a young girl not quite fifteen, with dark circles under eyes and her usually neat blond hair lank and limp. With a sigh, she took her hat off, dipping a corner into the water and using it to wash her face. After being in the digital world this long, she didn't really care about taking care of her clothes. The water was cool and refreshing, and she bent down to dip it again.

But the reflection the water offered was suddenly very different. Zöe found herself looking down at herself with sharp, fierce red eyes, a contorted, horrifying face, and a wide and piercing smile.

With a scream she jerked back, falling off the rock. Tommy leapt to his feet.

"Zöe! What happened -"

He did not need to wait long for an answer. Mercurymon himself rose out of the water, as effortlessly as though a crane had hooked on his metal armor and had simply hoisted him. But the Legendary Warrior of Steel seemed to glide straight up, unencumbered by any sort of friction.

She looked up into the circular mirror that made up his face. He only had lips, placed there as though drawn on, but even those were capable of severe expression. Terror gripped her heart. She couldn't lose her head now. She had to protect Tommy. The others were counting on her...

"What do you want?" Tommy demanded bravely. He had his blue and green D-Tector out, ready to Spirit Evolve at a moment's notice. Zöe wished she had his courage.

It was not immediately clear who Mercurymon was speaking to, but Zöe felt as though he had turned entirely in her direction, his deep, baritone words meant only for her. "So here is where the Warriors of Wind and Ice ended up," he said coolly. "It won't be long now before I can complete my collection."

Zöe felt as though her heart was pumping ice into her veins. She swallowed, trying to find her voice, but Tommy spoke first. "What? You won't take our spirits, and you don't have any of the others' either!" he snapped, with all the boldness and foolishness of one very young.

But she could tell, perhaps in the way Mercurymon spoke with so much conviction, that he did indeed have something that belonged to their friends.

"On the contrary, Ice. Your friend here saw me take down BurningGreymon." Zöe seemed to freeze up inside as he spoke to her again. "What a fight he put up. I must say, it was one of my more enthralling battles. But, eventually, all battles must have a victor."

"What are you saying?" Tommy cried.

As if in answer, Mercurymon held on of his palms outward. The twin Spirits of Fire, human and beast, hovered in the Warrior's palm. They rotated there, the red and gold armor still shining. It was as though he was holding all of her despair right in his palm. Her heart had either stopped or was beating very fast as her mind tumbled over what this meant.

She was not even aware she was speaking at last. "Then...if you have his spirits, then Takuya..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She couldn't.

A wry smile twisted Mercurymon's thin lips. "It is as you fear, my dear lady. The bearer of Flame is dead."

"No!" shouted Tommy. Zöe jerked her head to look over at him. He suddenly looked more fierce than she had ever seen him; was that desperation or fury she saw in his eyes? "Zöe, he's lying. You can't believe him. Takuya's not gone. He would never leave us."

"Tommy..." Zöe swallowed hard. "He has his spirits. He's gone." _And now he's gonna take ours, and we're gonna meet the same fate. _Tears threatened again, and this time she did not hold them back. She had failed Tommy, and she had failed the others. How would Kouji, Kouichi, and JP save the world without them?

"Don't give up," Tommy hissed. It was as though he had aged ten years. He looked more like a young man than a little boy. For the first time, she could see on his features the shadow of the man he would become. And without warning, his form was encased in blue digital data, bands of computer code that surrounded him and rose high above her head.

Mercurymon smirked.

Zöe looked up into the towering gaze of Korikkakumon. "We're not giving up," he repeated in a deeper, huskier voice than normal. He drew his twin-bladed axes and faced their enemy.

She closed her eyes. She had known from the start that being a Chosen was dangerous, and there was always a good chance that she would die. _Well,_ she thought idly, forcefully shoving her terror and grief away and pressing her purple and pink D-Tector to her heart, _if I'm going to die, I'm going to try to take Mercurymon down with me._

She Spirit Evolved. As always, becoming Zephyrmon filled her with a power and resolve she could not easily explain to the others. While her friends lost control of their Beast Spirits upon obtaining them, she remained as poised as she had been as Kazemon, fighting against Calmaramon with apparent ease. As the digital code faded away and she spread her powerful wings, some of that confidence seemed hampered by her terrible despair as though her feathers were rising out of molasses. _Takuya is dead,_ she thought hollowly, and even as Zephyrmon it was hard to rid herself of the thought.

Zöe did not even have time to right herself as her new form finished taking shape. Mercurymon leapt at her, tackling her and knocking her off her feet. It was so sudden, so unexpected, she half expected that Tommy had inadvertently struck her because it was so different from how Mercurymon usually fought. Normally, the Warrior of Steel used tricks, gimmicks, and magic to confuse his enemies all whilst taunting them and saving his best moves to accentuate his points. Now, with that smirk just above her masked face, she knew this fight would be over before it even begun. He wasn't holding back this time.

Zephyrmon's instincts told her to kick; she did, and a sharp pain registered in her heel, as did the sound of breaking glass. She had kicked right through Mercurymon's torso, the area that gave him the appearance of a grandfather clock. The digimon barely reacted.

He wrapped his arms around her back, and Zöe only had a moment to try and break out of his grip as the metal accents on his armor lit up; a moment later, she was flying backwards under the force of the blast they emitted, as white globes of energy struck her chest and shoulders. She let out a sharp cry and landed roughly on her back.

"Zöe!" Tommy cried, taking a step forward. Mercurymon swept his foot out and tripped him. The ground shook as the massive digimon fell.

She raised herself. She could feel the spots where the attack hit her stinging painfully, and when she looked down, some of her pink armor was smoking. Mercurymon let out a laugh, high a cruel; Zöe put as much hatred into her glare as she could.

"If you are interested in the location of your friends," he said coldly, "I'm afraid I know not the whereabouts of Darkness and Thunder, but I understand that Cherubimon made it his personal task to snuff out the Light himself. And he promised to make it slow."

Silence and horror greeted his words. Zöe closed her eyes briefly. _Oh, God. Kouji..._

"You're lying," growled Tommy. He pushed himself to his feet as though performing a rather elaborate push-up. "You have no idea where they are, And I'd bet my Spirits Takuya's not dead."

"Alas, my boy, I have evidence to the contrary," Mercurymon said airily.

Zöe forced herself to take several calming breaths. If the others could see her now, they would not be pleased with how she was handling this battle. She had not even fired off a single attack. She caught Tommy's eye; the two of them summoned their strength and power to simultaneously strike. Twin attacks made up of wind, ice, and axes shot themselves at Mercurymon.

Almost as quickly as they had fired, two bright circles erected themselves on either side of the enemy Warrior, effectively absorbing their attacks. And in an instant, Zöe was struck with her own wind, and judging by the way the ground shook once more, Tommy had been hit with his attack as well.

Her head spun. She lifted herself from the grass again, and when the ringing in her ears faded, she could hear that same cruel laugh.

_We can't beat him, _she realized dully. _He's too strong for us. If only the others were here. Takuya and Kouji were always so strong. They could take care of this for me, prevent what's going to happen...Tommy, I'm so sorry..._

When KorIkkakumon leapt into the air to attack, she reacted instinctively. Perhaps it was Zephyrmon driving her actions at this point, because the human side of her had simply lost the will to fight back. With a powerful flap of her wings, she rose to her feet and launched herself at Mercurymon, her claws outstretched. Powerful hands grabbed her and flung her into her friend.

She hit his chest; as the two of them collapsed, those same hands grabbed her ankle and shot her into a tree.

Zöe hit it roughly. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and she slid to the ground in a heap. Panic and despair had her heart beating savagely in her chest. Zephyrmon was angry, screaming at her to get up and stop fighting so pathetically. She rolled over, but her limbs were shaking, and the hopelessness of their effort seemed to be holding her down like a physical weight. She jerked her head up at the sound of someone calling her name.

Horror created another knot in her chest. Mercurymon had Tommy's hulking KorIkkakumon form held by the neck as the Warrior of Ice lay on his stomach, his gorilla-like arms curled underneath him. Behind Mercurymon stood a large shining circle, its surface shimmering a murky blue – it was a portal, she realized. "Tell me, Zephyrmon," Mercurymon drawled, "can you reach us before my portal takes us away?"

And dragging Korikkakumon as though he weighed much less, Mercurymon stepped toward the portal.

She didn't think. Zöe pumped her wings, bringing her to her feet, but they never touched the ground. Instead she powered herself toward them, launching her digimon form at the evil digimon before he had time to take Tommy away.

But Mercurymon reached out, and with a single finger, he touched the portal. Both he and Tommy flickered, like a dying light, and they disappeared.

Shock had her stride stumbling, and she powered her wings to keep her upright, but the reality of what had just happened hit her hard. They were gone – she had lost Tommy. Zöe froze just before the portal, landing gracefully in front of it. She looked at the shimmering blue surface, looking for traces of those she had lost through it. All she could see were hints of her own form, her reflection horribly distorted by the strange magic making up the portal, and her shoulders shook.

She had two options. Zöe could either give up entirely and lose herself to her emotions, or she could step through the portal after him. _What would Takuya do? _she found herself wondering. She raised her head. She knew what their leader would do, and he would be shouting at her right now for not trying it. With her wings raised behind her, she touched the portal. Her heart hammered, her breathing coming out in painful hitches. _I need to fix this. I'm not leaving Tommy there. _It was her fault for losing him in the first place.

There was a very strange sensation radiating from the single finger touching the portal and traveling to the rest of her body. It was rather like ice had flooded her veins with a faint electrical charge to it. She swallowed hard and blinked, and quite suddenly, she no longer stood on the edge of the lake.

Zöe stared. She appeared to be standing within a narrow valley. The ground seemed to be made of a strange, otherworldly material, as though she had suddenly found herself on the moon. It was very dark, and the only illumination came from the shining mirrors scattered around the sides of the valley. She knew better than to trust them.

But she could see no sign of Tommy or Mercurymon, and that was what she was here for – not to play whatever stupid games the Warrior of Steel had set up for her. She took a breath, pushing aside her uncertainty and fear, and flapped her wings, pushing herself off the ground.

A sharp, sudden electric current ran through her body as soon as she left the earth – with a shriek, she folded her wings and collapsed roughly in the dirt. Dust settled around her as she coughed, groaning and trying to right herself while leftover tremors shocked her. _Dammit, _she thought, and she couldn't prevent the tears stinging her eyes this time. _I guess I'm not flying out of here._

Zöe stood up, a little shakily. She faced the mirror-strewn valley. _All right, Mercurymon, _she thought bitterly. _Let's see what you've got for me._

She strode forward, unsteady at first, but her Beast Spirit regained its power the more she moved. She spared a glance at the first mirror.

In an instant, she was kneeling beside it, stricken with terror. As though watching a movie, she could see Kouji within it, walking calmly and carefully through a part of the digital world she did not recognize. Unaware of the fact that Cherubimon lurked in the shadows. Watching him, waiting for him. "Kouji!" she cried in desperation. She tried to shake the mirror, but it seemed to be glued to the earth. A shadow passed over her friend – he looked up at Zöe, and a flicker of fear crossed his expression before darkness enveloped the images. "No! Kouji!"

She knelt there, breathing hard, despair and grief weighing her down. Kouji was in trouble, fighting at this very moment, and she was helpless to save him. If he didn't make it...her shoulders shook. Takuya would be devastated. Kouichi had just found his twin after all these years. She raised her head, unsuccessfully trying to fight back the tears.

_Kouji is strong. He's fought Duskmon all by himself. _But Duskmon had not been a mega-level demon digimon bent on taking over the digital world. She swallowed hard, trying to find comfort in those casual, aloof mannerisms she knew so well, before they had disappeared beneath the haze of darkness.

Zöe stood. She couldn't look at the mirror anymore.

It took a moment for her to realize what the next mirror held for her. She could see Mercurymon, and for a moment rage engulfed her so she very nearly attacked the mirror, but when the Warrior of Steel shot a blazing ray of light directly at the mirror, she blinked in confusion. More so when the images seemed to repeat themselves – Mercurymon smirking, then the beam of light striking the camera where she watched the images.

Then she saw it. An arm, clasped with red and gold armor, and ending in three silver claws. Both arms had attempted to cover the face of whoever Mercurymon was attacking, as though she was watching this from first-person – and it only took her a moment to recognize the digimon to whom those arms belonged.

"Oh, Takuya," she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to disperse the liquid that had formed. But tears trailed down her masked face in twin rivulets. She was witnessing Takuya's last moments. _Tommy told me Mercurymon was lying_, she tried to tell herself. But it was so much harder to believe him when she was witnessing what had happened right in front of her.

She staggered to her feet and continued along the terrible valley.

The next mirrors held images straight from her memories, meant to shatter her spirit. She could see the faces of those cruel girls who had bullied her when she arrived from Italy, the image of the first boy she had ever dated, who treated her badly; the last time she saw her older sister before she was struck ill. Each image was like a separate blow, but she kept moving. Forced herself to ignore them, focus on what she had to do. _Tommy. Tommy. I've got to find Tommy._

She very nearly walked past it. Stumbling back to the round glass, she saw Mercurymon standing over a trembling Tommy, beside what looked like the side of a cliff. The boy had lost his beast spirit form, and was looking up at Mercurymon like a defiant last stand. Her heart twisted horribly in her chest as she caught sight of the bruise on his face. Anger and despair battered her.

"Tommy!" she cried, and she struck the glass.

As pain flared in her hand, her own power of wind seemed to follow the movement, striking the glass as she drew her hand back for another hit. The mirror shattered.

She stared at the shards littered on the floor, and before the grief and frustration could overwhelm her, the shards began to glow. Ice flooded through her veins, as it had before, but this time it was quick, as though she had suddenly thrown herself into frigid ocean water.

And she was standing between Mercurymon and Tommy.

Zöe barely registered the look of surprise on his nearly expressionless face. Seeing those images had created a terrible cesspool of despair and grief and anger twisting inside her, and she vented it in the only way she knew how. Zephyrmon seemed to be right with her. She wanted Mercurymon to suffer.

She tackled the Warrior of Steel, driving him away from Tommy. As the evil digimon cried out in anger, she struck the cliff wall above them.

Smiled at the satisfying rumble her power had generated.

Mercurymon had not anticipated that those images meant to torment her would lead to this. How beautiful it was that his own tricks and jibes would bring about his downfall. It was poetic, in a way.

Zöe heard Tommy call to her, but she couldn't bear to look at him. She had to hold Mercurymon still. If she somehow allowed him to escape this fate, her efforts would be in vain. Her death would be in vain.

The walls above her cracked like a gunshot. Rocks tumbled down.

_Take care of him for me, guys, _she thought, and her mind was oddly serene. Despite what was about to happen, despite the digimon struggling and fighting out of her grasp, she had come to terms with what was about to happen. _It's going to be okay._

_ He can't hurt any more of us._

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A/N: Drama was written. Lol.

Thanks for reading!


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